Twisted Realities
by Maureen Flowers
Summary: Jack's been dead for a year and Sam's life has changed, but one secrect will change everything she thought she knew.
1. Bye Bye Petey

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Sam Carter rolled over and hit the snooze button for the fifth time that morning. She was determined not to get this day started any earlier then absolutely necessary. If she could stay in bed all day today she would, but Pete had left a message on her phone last night saying he'd be over that afternoon, much to Sam's disappointment. It was nice having Pete around there in the beginning, but things had gone from bad to worse within the past year after everything happened on the base, and she would have much preferred to have been left alone today.

The alarm went off again and Sam finally turned it off for good as she hauled herself towards her bathroom. Sam took longer then normal in the shower. She finally got out of the shower and blow dried her hair. Just as she was finishing brushing her teeth the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Sam, It's George." the voice on the other line identified itself.

"Oh! Hello, General!" responded Sam.

"Sam, you don't have to call me General anymore, remember?" Hammond gently joked.

"Sorry, old habits and all. The Colonel could never get me to drop the habit either."

At the sound Colonel O'Neill's name both got quiet. Today was a hard day for everyone. It was one year today that the then Major Samantha Carter watched in horror as her CO was killed before her very eyes. Just as it happened she was shoved through the gate by Daniel falling into her and the gate deactivated before she could do anything but scream his name. Sam shoved the memory back into herself.

"How are things at the base?" Sam asked.

"Fine, everything's okay. I just wanted to check in on you and make sure everything's going good. I haven't heard from you lately."

"Everything's fine. I started lecturing up at Denver University about six months ago."

"How do you like that?"

"It's nice. I actually come home every night." answered Sam

"You mean there's no cots or sofas around to crash on so you HAVE to head home." grinned Hammond.

"Yeah, pretty much, sir." she said blushing.

"Maybe I should have tried that. I should have shut down your quarters and made you find somewhere else to stay. Do you miss the long nights? That's a stupid question. You lived for the technology."

"Yeah, sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time I miss working on all of the new technology. Pushing my mental limits. I miss the excitement of going through the gate. The only adrenaline rush I get now is when my bike leans too much on a curve." joked Sam.

"Well, we miss you, too. I actually need to see you if that's okay." ventured Hammond.

"General, I really would rather not-" 

"Sam, it's important. I wouldn't ask you to come back here if it wasn't. Dr. Jackson and Teal'c will be here as well. At least come for them. It's about Jack."

"What do you mean? What's going on? And how does it involve the Colonel?"

"I would rather not discuss it over the phone. If it's okay with you, I'm going to send Jack's service record over to your house."

"I thought his service record was top level classified? And why do I need to see it now?"

"It is, but you've been given clearance to see it." responded Hammond.

"Will Daniel and Teal'c see it?" asked Sam

"No, only you will be allowed to view it. I want you to see all that he did in his life in order to understand what we will be discussing tomorrow."

"What time do I need to be there at?" Sam asked, her mind made up.

"Dr. Jackson will be arriving at 0830 tomorrow morning. Teal'c will be arriving at 0845. Why don't you get to the base at 0800 to get yourself prepared and settled in? You might want to bring some extra clothes as well. I don't really know how long this is going to take. Will you be able to miss your lectures?" 

"Yes, sir. I'll just call and tell them tonight. Is there anything else I should know about before hand?"

"No, just be prepared. We have a lo of things to discuss."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodbye George." Sam said with a smile.

About an hour later an SF rang her doorbell. Sam opened it and showed her I.D.. The young man just handed her a sealed folder and left. She carried the folder into her living room and began reading. 

Three hours later Samantha Carter had a whole new respect for the late Jack O'Neill. First of all, he had a Masters Degree in Chemistry which meant he understood most of the theories that Carter used to spout off at him that he pretended to not understand. Also, he had a long lists of languages he knew that included; Latin, French, Arabic, German, and many ancient languages as well. So all the times that Daniel thought he was the only one who could understand or grasp anything any one said, the Colonel was right there, silently digesting everything everyone said. 

A memory came to mind of when they had gone to a planet where they weren't exactly welcomed with opened arms. Daniel had been trying to explain to the chieftain that they were all peaceful people. He told Sam later that the chieftain said that Jack was smarter then he acted. Daniel had told the chieftain that Jack had the intellectual level of a boar's ass. Sam had doubled over laughing at that. But now Sam remembered that not five minutes after having that talk with the chieftain, Jack had_ accidentally _stuck Daniel in a pin with the planet's equivalent of pigs.

As she read on she cried and cried for all the horrible things that Jack had been through. The reports on his Iraqi imprisonment were very detailed, as were the reports on his capture and torture at the hands of Baal. Finally, after she had read everything, she laid the file down on the table in her den and went to the bathroom to pull herself together and wipe her eyes.

While she was in the bathroom, she heard a door open. She quickly turned the corner to see who it was. Pete was standing in her den, reading Jack's file.

"You can't read that!" exclaimed Sam as she lunged for the file and took it away from him.

"What is Colonel O'Neill's file doing in the middle of our living room? And why can't I read it?" asked Pete angrily.

"General Hammond sent it over this morning. He said I needed to read it. As for why you can't, it's classified top secret." answered Sam tersely.

"I know about the Star Gate, doesn't that give me clearance enough?"

"No, I wasn't even allowed to see it until today."

"Why now?"

"Because the General wants to have a meeting with me tomorrow and he said I would need all this information to understand what the meeting was about."

"Here we go again. More cloak and dagger bullshit. I thought you were all done with this shit?!" yelled Pete.

"Pete, I'm just going there for a meeting fer cryin' out loud! What is the big deal?!" Sam yelled back.

"I thought you were through playing military and had finally learned where you belong! With me!"

"Playing military?! How dare you say that to me! I've faced more amazing and dangerous things in my life then you could even imagine seeing in your sad excuse of a career! You go and bust hookers and car thieves. I protected the Earth, and you want to say I played military?! I lived and breathed it my whole life! I worked my ass off for my promotion to Major and-"

"Yeah you worked something! I checked up on you when we first met. You got every promotion every time you were up for one. Awards out the ass. Tell me, just how many people did you fuck to get you precious promotions, huh? I know you were fucking your CO. Is that why you retired? You one way ticket to promotions gets killed and you might as well give up right?!" sneered Pete.

Sam sat silent through all of this, in a complete and total shock. How had she let someone like this into her life? The two were so wrapped up in the argument they didn't notice the person listening at the window.

"You checked up on me? You fucking Bastard!" yelled Sam

"You're nothing but a cheap whore Samantha. You leaving the SGC was the best thing you could have done for us. I got to know the real you. Not the fake bravado you put on to impress everyone. I got to see just what a slut you were. Every time we'd be together all you could talk about was that piece of shit O'Neill. Nonstop. I couldn't believe that he had finally died. That was the happiest day of my life. When you came home and told me how that bastard had fin-"

Sam's slap to the side of his face stopped him in his tracks. 

"You Bitch!" Pete pulled his hand back and punched her in the stomach. He had learned a few things while on the force. Never punch where it can leave marks. 

The man at the window almost jumped through it when he saw Sam clutching her stomach but stopped as he saw Sam come back up with a hook to the jaw. Pete stumbled backwards from the force of her punch and fell back into her kitchen table. The man at the window watched in amazement as Sam got a look he had never seen before on her face. She walked towards Pete with a deadly look in her eye.

"This is my house," she said as she came up with an upper cut, 

"and if I ever," she continued with a knee to the groin, 

"see you around it," she said as she grabbed him by the hair of his head and spun him so he was pushed face down on her table now,

"Me, or anyone else I love, I'll come after you. Do you understand me?" Provoked by his silence she shoved his elbow behind him until he felt bones start popping and cracking.

"Do you understand?!" she screamed.

"Yes." Pete said painfully.

"And if I ever, EVER hear you talk about Jack O'Neill like that again," she paused as she raised his head up off the table,

"I'll kill you" she finished as she slammed his face down onto the oak table, busting his lip and breaking his nose. She grabbed him by the hair of the head and dragged his now bloody form through her house and threw him out onto her doorstep. Te man in the window looked on in amazement. The normally quiet and calm Sam was nowhere to be seen, and this very dangerous, very pissed woman was in her place. 

Pete sat up and tried to nurse his broken nose as he heard her walking back towards him. 

"Take these," she said as she threw his keys at him "And leave. Now."

Pete raised up on his knees now to look at her. 

"Sam, baby, I'm sorry. I would never hurt you. I didn't mean it. Please, let me have another chance. Please bab-" he was cut off by the kick Sam delivered to the bottom of his jaw that sent him flying on his butt in the middle of the yard. Pete scrambled towards his car. 

Sam turned and walked back into the house, calmly shutting the door and locking it. She turned and made a beeline to her closet where she pulled a box off the top shelf and carried it into the living room. She placed the box on the table and pulled out a framed photo. The man at the window couldn't get a good look at it right away. Sam sat and stared at the photo. Suddenly tears started pouring from her eyes. She laid down on the couch and cried herself to sleep. 

After she fell asleep, the man in the window finally got a look at the picture. It was the picture that the alternate reality Sam had brought through with her. It had Sam smiling and laughing in her wedding dress with Jack behind her smiling just as big, holding Sam tightly. The man quietly left the bushes he was hiding in and made his way down the road, back to Cheyenne mountain in a shocked state. 


	2. Heading Back to Oz

AN- _Italics_ represent flashbacks

Sam woke up the next morning to the sun streaming in on her from her living room window. She sat up and stretched out her sore muscles. She was still in good shape physically, but her last fight had been with a Gou'ald over a year ago. If Janet had still been here, Sam knew she would have given her hell about her night on the couch. Janet always worried about Sam's sleeping habits, or in Janet's opinion the lack of. It was times like these that Sam missed her friend the most.

She puttered her way into her bathroom and ran a hot shower, hoping it would relieve the tension in her shoulders. As she leaned further into the scalding spray, her mind drifted back to the final mission of SG-1. 

_They were all getting ready; Sam was fastening her pack onto her shoulders, Daniel was busy trying to stuff every possible recording device he could find into his pack, Teal'c was sitting on the bench, calmly waiting for his teammates, and Jack was being uncharacteristically quiet. The more that Sam thought back, the more she realized that everyone had been quiet for some reason. Jack's usual banter and jokes at Daniel's expense were absent, as were Daniel's ramblings about how amazing this planet was supposed to be for Archeology. Sam remembered feeling very bewildered at her team's quiet and asked if anything was wrong. She just got a poor excuse of a cover up grin from the Colonel with a flippant 'Who me? Never' and a distracted shake from Daniel. Teal'c remained stoically silent, as if at a burial ceremony. She was still confused as the Colonel turned toward the team. Sam could have sworn she saw a deep sadness as he looked at his team, but it was quickly masked by the trade mark O'Neill manner._

_ "Let's go, campers." And with that they headed toward the Gate room._

Sam turned off the spray and quickly toweled herself off. She was going to have to rush if she was going to get there early. She walked into her closet and pulled out her dress uniform. The last time she had worn it was at Janet's funeral. She shook her head out of the memory and continued to get ready.

Twenty minutes later, Sam trotted down her driveway to her car. There was a note from Pete stuck in between her windshield blade. Sam snatched it off and dropped it to the ground. That part of her life was over now, and Sam had the feeling that this meeting with Hammond today would begin a new chapter in her life. She placed the stack of classified folders on her front seat and pointed her car toward the mountain. 

***Thanks for the feed back! I loved all the reviews and am open to ideas as to where this story should go.*** 


	3. And the Other Shoe Falls

AN- Sorry for the confusion on her wearing the dress uniform last chapter. She was just looking at it, sorry I wasn't clear enough!

  


Sam had always been in the habit of leaving for meetings half an hour early, but now wasn't sure if half an hour would be enough. I-25 was backed up for miles and traffic was moving at a snails pace. Some idiot had decided that it wasn't considered drinking first thing in the morning if you hadn't stopped drinking the night before. The genius had managed to flip his car over the concrete median and had forced traffic down to one lane on the three lane highway. 

Sam rapped her knuckles impatiently, glancing at her watch every twenty seconds. She directed her car to the left a little, and seeing that there wasn't any way to progress in that lane had drifted towards the right side of her lane. As she looked up the length of the emergency lane her mind drifted back to the first time she had ever ridden in Jack's truck. 

_It was just after she had been released from the infirmary after the whole incident with Jolinar. Janet hadn't been able to take her home due to SG-12's latest excursion with enemy Jaffa. Daniel had been buried in his office with a translation and Sam hadn't wanted to bother him. Normally she would have asked an SF to take her home, but she hadn't wanted to be around anyone she didn't know well. That left the Colonel. Sam gave a little smile as she remembered his dumbstruck look when she asked him for a ride._

_ "Why me? Uh, what I mean, is um... don't you want Janet to? Or Daniel?"_

_ "I asked them, sir. They're both tied up. I could get an SF to, but I'd rather be around someone I know right now. I could just wait for Janet to finish up with SG-12. I'd like to have a look at my lab anyways." Sam turned to leave as Jack spoke up._

_ "Nice try, Major. Turn away from your lab. Now. You aren't supposed to get near that place for at least another week and a half. And I don't mind taking you home. It's just that I'd thought I'd be a little far down on your list. My ego is a little bruised about being below Space Monkey, but I'll get recover." He replied with a cheeky grin._

_ So ten minutes later they were topside and headed out the security gates of Cheyenne Mountain. The traffic hit them about fifteen minutes into the ride home. Sam's exit was only four exits off and Jack was getting frustrated. Before Jack had finished rolling his window down to shout obscenities to the trucker in front of them Sam had reached across him and rolled up the window._

_ "What are you doing?! That idiot needs to know how to use his gas pedal!"_

_ "Sir, with all due respect, I'd like to be able to go home without you getting sent to the hospital first?"_

_ "Are you saying I couldn't take on a trucker?"_

_ "No, I'm saying you couldn't take the beating I'd give you, sir." She replied seriously._

_ "Well SOMEONE'S grouchy. That comment could be taken as insubordination, Major."_

_ "Sir, if you get me home within the next ten minutes, you can do whatever you want with me." Sam replied wearily_

_ At hearing this, Jack got an evil grin on his face. Suddenly he yanked his truck to the right and sped up the emergency lane, gaining many honks and hollers on the way. Sam was so shocked she just grabbed the armrests of her chair and stared openmouthed as Jack pulled his truck onto the exit ramp. Three minutes later, Jack had parked his truck in Sam's driveway and had walked around to open her car door._

_ "Now, about your promise in the car, how flexible are you?" asked Jack with a twinkle in his eye._

_ Sam suddenly awoke from her shock induced silence and burst out laughing. Then what Jack said sunk in and she quickly sobered up._

_ "Sir, what- I mean why would-" she stumbled out._

_ "Well, It's just that getting up to my season seats at the Avalanche Stadium can get tricky and it's easier if you can jump over the seats." he answered, feigning ignorance of Sam's dirty thoughts._

_ "Avalanche? As in hockey?" questioned Sam._

_ "Of coarse! What else could we do together that would require flexibility?" Jack asked with an innocent look._

Sam laughed out loud at the memory. Suddenly, she felt herself pulling her car towards the right.

'What the Hell?' Sam thought. She slammed the pedal and quickly shifted down to third to pick up speed. She quickly made to her exit and pulled into the gates of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. An SF walked up to her car and gave a shocked look at the driver of the car.

"Major Carter! What are you doing here?" asked the confused man.

"It's just Doctor now. Check you arrival sheet. General Hammond is expecting me."

The SF found her name on the short list and allowed her to pass. She pulled into the parking complex and exited the car. Her heels made a hollow clicking as she made her way up to what used to be her life. Her mind suddenly let loose all of her question's she'd been harboring for the past 24 hours. Why did Hammond need to see her for? Why did she need to read Jack's file? Are Daniel and Teal'c okay? Have they been captured? Sam glanced at her watch and picked up her pace. She had fifteen minutes until she had to be in the General's office and the elevator took a good five of those fifteen minutes. 

Sam finally found herself outside the briefing room. It felt strange to say the least. She felt herself slipping into "Carter" mode as she called it. She had been Sam for a year now, and to be back in the place where she had been such a different person brought back many memories. She had first met Colonel Jack O'Neill here, had treaded the insubordination line for the first time with her arm wrestling challenge, and if she was honest with herself, had first started to fall in love with O'Neill here. She thought of all the bad news she'd receive in this room. How many scientific experiments had started in this room with her as the guinea pig. Her mind was filled with these thoughts as she stared at the lowered blast door.

Unbeknownst to Carter, four men were watching her through the security camera. 

"How do you think she'll take it?" asked one of them.

"How would you take being lied to for a whole year and having you life changed falsely?" retorted one angrily.

"We all know we had no choice in the matter. Now, let's get this started so we can start mending some severely damaged fences." And with that three of them headed towards the briefing room.

Sam turned quickly when she heard the door open. Daniel was the first to walk through, and Sam rushed over with a huge smile and grabbed him in a crushing hug.

"How are you?! God, you look great Sam!" exclaimed Daniel

Sam looked down at her tailored black pant suit with a plain white button-up shirt. She had left the top button undone and had on minimal make-up. Her hair had grown out a little but was still short and mussy.

"Thank you. I've been okay. I started lecturing over at the Academy a little while after you left and it still feels weird to actually come home everyday. Pretty unreal sometimes how things have changed. Anyways, how are things with you?! Enjoying your time with the Nox?" questioned Sam excitedly.

Daniel had asked for permission to join the Nox shortly after Jack had been killed. Sam hadn't heard from him since the three of them had cleaned Jack's house out. Jack didn't have a very long will, but one of the stipulations was that the three of the remaining team members had to clean out his house. His cabin and most of his possessions had been left to Sam. That had been a topic of many fights between Sam and Pete, especially after Sam made it clear she was not selling it. Jack's truck had been left to Daniel with strict instructions to 'take care of his baby'. Teal'c receive all of Jack's video and DVD collection 'to learn more of our culture' as Jack put it. That day had been a very emotional one for the whole team and by the time they finished they all just said goodbye at his house and left.

"They are some of the interesting people in this universe. They seem very cold and distant at first as you know-" 

"You mean arrogant and self-righteous?" interrupted Sam with a grin.

"Still have some of Jack's bad habits, huh?" Daniel asked jokingly.

"Yeah, I guess the more I thought about him, the more I began acting like him. Sorry for interrupting, please continue." urged Sam.

"Well, they have a very bad track record as we would say with less advanced cultures. They've been more careful because of it, but now that I'm there and am learning about their history, trade agreements have started taking place finally. It' really amazing how these people have survived and advanced as much as they have. See, when they first built their main city back on the planet we found them on-" Daniel was interrupted by the door opening and a very stoic Teal'c walking in.

"Teal'c!" Teal'c made his way over to Daniel and Sam and gathered her up in a bear hug. 

"How are things on Chulak? Is Rya'c doing okay?" Teal'c had decided to join his mentor and son in their fight to free the Jaffa. He told Sam that he felt he could no longer assist earth without O'Neill there. 

"They are well, Major Carter."

"It's not Major anymore Teal'c, just Doctor. Besides, just call me Sam or Carter. I think you can drop some of the formalities after being friends for over eight years, don't you?" 

"As you wish, Carter." Teal'c replied with a faint grin.

"So, how are Master Bray'tac and Rya'c doing?"

"They are doing well. Bray'tac has taken a wife and is expecting child with her soon. Bray'tac is leading raids on Ba'al's ground forces on his new home world."

General Hammond walked into the room and smiled at the scene in front of him 

"Sam, how are you?" He asked as Sam got yet another back crushing hug.

"I'm good, a little apprehensive about this whole meeting thing, but other then that I'm good. How are the girls?"

"They're doing well. Both are involved in the big school play again so they stay pretty busy with that. They only call me when they need money for fund-raises or their egos boosted a little." joked Hammond.

"Well, let's get this meeting started. Please take a seat everyone."Hammond waited until the three people had found a seat and then began.

"A year ago, we lost a fine soldier and friend. Today you were all brought here to be briefed on that mission and what happened-"

"Sir, we briefed you about the events a year ago, why are we doing this again?" interrupted Sam.

"You all are not the ones doing the debriefing. At least, not you Sam."

With this statement Sam turned to look at Daniel and Teal'c. Daniel just looked at his paper in front of him while Teal'c met her gaze with a steady one of his own.

"A year and a half ago, we received news that the NID had infiltrated our ranks and were preforming illegal operations. Now, as you all know, this has happened before, but the stakes were much higher this time. Off world operations would have been impossible to achieve due to the higher security measures taken after that first incident, but due to the extensive exposure that Colonel Jack O'Neill and the then Major Sam Carter had received, they were put on the top of the NID's list."

Sam sat there in a trance. The NID were after her? And noone told her? How could the Colonel have not told her? He of all people should have understood her need for this information.

"Now, before you start firing off questions Doctor, let me explain first. We discovered that you were being heavily observed. Colonel O'Neill wasn't under quite so much surveillance due to the fact that you were going to be the first hit. We found out that you were to be taken Off world and transported to numerous gate addresses and then picked up by the remaining members of the Off world NID base."

"Off world NID base? I thought that Colonel O'Neill had retrieved all of the operatives during his sting mission?" questioned Sam, now back into full military mode.

"We did too. It turns out that Maybourne had a team still out on a mission when the operation took place. The remaining members have been keeping in touch with earth through the many NID operatives here in the base. Now, as I was saying, you were to be taken off world. After which, they were planning on setting a trap for Colonel O'Neill during the rescue mission that would have been planned. Our goal was to find a way to keep you on Earth while buying us time to investigate more and discover who the leaks in our complex were. You were kept in the dark in order to make the NID believe that everything taking place was in fact real. After making sure you knew nothing about our operations, Teal'c became our liaison with the newest group of rebel Jaffa. We mounted a fake attack on SG-1 and SG-9, the SG team that we knew for sure contained an agent. The Jaffa were under orders not to kill, just to show a strong firearm display."

"How did the Colonel get killed? Was it an accident?" questioned Carter while trying to keep the moisture from her eyes visible to anyone.

"The attack went exactly according to plan, Doctor." Hammond answered.

'According to plan? How was that possible? Is he saying they meant to kill Jack? Wait, they were ordered not to kill...' General Hammond continued.

"The primary goal for this mission was to upset the NID's plan as much as possible, meaning you would being staying on world for an undisclosed amount of time and make them believe that Colonel O'Neill was gone."

"Make them believe... General, what are you trying to say?" she asked bewildered.

Hammond didn't say anything. Sam wheeled around in her chair to face Daniel and Teal'c. Teal'c betrayed no emotion but Daniel's face was covered in guilt.

"General, why was I instructed to read Colonel's O'Neill's file?" Sam asked calmly.

"We thought that you would better understand if you knew when he had been through and done in the past. Jack also wanted you to know everything in case something ever happened to him. He also felt it pertinent to keep this information of you being watched secret. We needed it to appear as real as possible. I hope you understand that."

Carter's mind reeled from the new information she was receiving. She was being watched? Jack was going to be captured with her as the bait? Is General Hammond really trying to tell her what she thinks he is? No, she saw him die...

_They came under heavy fire as soon as they exited the gate. Everyone was running and trying to find cover. Carter had jumped behind a large boulder with Teal'c and began returning fire. She glanced over at the Colonel and Daniel. The Colonel was yelling something but she couldn't understand. She got as close to the DHD where the Colonel and Daniel were hiding as she could but if she'd gone any farther, she'd have lost her cover. The Colonel went to move towards her and just as he raised up to run, a staff blast hit him from behind. Sam screamed his name. He fell foward just as a member of SG-9 got the Gate open. Everyone started running for the gate but Sam pushed her way over to Jack. She threw herself down on the ground and cradled his head in her lap. _

_ "Jack! Come on! We've got to get you home! Please, don't give up now! Come on!"_

_ Jack opened his eyes and looked directly at her. His eyes were filled with pain, more pain then any staff blast could inflict._

_ "Sam, just remember that I've always loved you. I always have and always will. No matter what." and with that his eyes closed and she felt his body go limp. Sam never remembered being picked up by Teal'c and being carried through the gate. She was told later that she screamed and fought against Teal'c and had even punched him trying to get back to the Colonel._

_ Sam had left out what Jack had told her on the battlefield in her official report and never told Hammond what happened. She just walked into his office as soon as she was discharged from the infirmary and handed him her resignation and walked out of the mountain._

Sam drifted back from the memory. She saw him die! He couldn't be alive! Then the realization dawned on her. She had never checked his back. She never saw if there was even a wound. His words rang in her head _'I always have and always will. No matter what.'_

Sam looked up at General Hammond, trying desperatly to hide the tears that were threatening to fall and tried to speak but was interrupted by the door opening and a loud voice saying,

"Hello, Campers."

***Hope you all liked it. Sorry it's taking so long to update. Feedback is a must or no more story!! I'm also looking for a beta reader if anyone's interested, just let me know***


	4. Dorothy Blows Up

Sam couldn't believe her eyes. Jack O'Neill was standing right in front of her eyes. Her mind reeled with this new information. Her normally organized thought process was nowhere to be found as her mind spat out her many thoughts and feelings at once. 

'He's alive! Good God, Jack's alive! How could he have done this to me? How much did Daniel and Teal'c know? Does this mean I can actually have my dream at last? That son of a bitch lied to me! All those nights spent crying, praying that it was all a bad dream. They finally came true! I've wasted a year of my life! JACK'S ALIVE!'

Jack just stood in the doorway staring at Sam. Everyone else in the room seemed to disappear except for the two of them. He could tell the woman was in a deep state of emotional shock and confusion. Not exactly sure what to do, he stood there in the doorway, waiting for some type of instruction. General Hammond finally came to the rescue and broke the tense silence.

"Jack, have a seat." He said as he cleared his throat.

Jack slowly moved to a chair across from Sam, his eyes never leaving hers. Sam just sat there with her mouth still open and eyes wide from the shock. As Jack sat down she felt her heart beat wildly in her chest. He was right there in front of her again, just like she had always hoped and dreamed for. General Hammond's voice shook her from her reverie.

"Colonel, I'd like for you to start this briefing with the events that led up to the planned raid on August 12, 2005." 

"Yes, sir. We had gathered Intel on the spies in the SGC and knew the identity of five of them. Four were placed on SG teams while one was stationed in security. We found that the NID had almost perfected their communication skills during the time since my last covert mission against the agency, but they slipped up enough here and there to arouse the suspicions of the leader of SG-15, Colonel Smithson. He came to me with his concerns and we began close observation on all SG teams, including SG-1." 

"During this investigation, we found that there were NID agents on teams SG-15, SG-10, and SG-9, the last of which contained two members. It was then we also found the surveillance on Major Carter and myself. We watched as more information passed hands between the agents and were able to intercept some messages that told of the plot to eliminate the Major and myself. We needed more time to gather evidence on the agencies activities but we were running out of time due to that fact that Major Carter's abduction had already been set into motion. SG-1 as you recall were scheduled to depart in a week for P3X-274, and due to the NID threat, security had been quietly strengthened. Our gear and equipment were constantly checked without the knowledge of anyone other then myself and a hand full of SF's. When I checked the MALP a week before we left, I noticed something out of place on the structure. It was an extra device added underneath the machine. When the MALP went through, the device was meant to cause the established wormhole to jump track as it were to another predesignated destination."

Daniel's mouth hung slack as he listened to Jack talk about such complicated things as if he did it everyday of his life. Sam wasn't quite as shocked as Daniel since she now knew about his degrees, but it still surprised Sam to see Jack using technical jargon casually and even more unbelievably, correctly.

"The device had a miniature DHD device attached to it. We had never seen anything like it, so we assumed they had stolen it from an alien planet. Anyways, the DHD activated as soon as it was in the center most point of the wormhole. It shifted the wormhole to a separate designation for a split second, the split second in which Major Carter normally entered the wormhole after the MALP. We quickly followed the MALP through to the destination and found it to be an uninhabitable planet. This was going to be the beginning of the Gate hopping plan the NID were going to use to kidnap Carter."

"When we returned, I knew we needed to buy more time and find a way to keep Carter on Earth without her knowing about the threat. The original plan was for me to go missing on a training mission, but that idea was rejected due to the Major's past efforts to get me home before. I knew she wouldn't just sit around while I was missing. So, we rigged the attack on SG-12 and made sure we brought SG-9 through with us for backup since there were two NID agents on that team. We figured it would be more believable if there were two people who saw the same thing." 

Jack paused in his story to take a drink of coffee that had been placed in front of him. Sam's mind was still doing cartwheels around the knew information. She couldn't seem to stop her anger from controlling her thoughts and feelings. Jack continued,

"After I "died", and Major Carter was evacuated, I met with the Tok'ra to disguise myself and start my Intel gathering. I traveled around as a traveling merchant and traded goods at a sort of intergalactic market place. I found out about the agencies whereabouts, their new plans and about a month ago, I discovered their off world base's gate address. We launched an attack just short of a week ago. We had originally thought that there was just the one team left, but they had gathered more members from the rebel groups to help with the plan. We apprehended all twenty three of the agents off world and came home and arrested the five agents in the SGC. They are currently in route to the Alpha site where they are going to stand trial in the military court set up there."

"Why are they being tried off world? Why not in a regular court marshal on Earth?" questioned Daniel.

"Because they didn't know who they could trust on Earth, or how high up the conspiracy goes." Carter replied quietly, maintaining eye contact with the table only.

"Carter, you need to know tha-" Jack started.

"No, I need to have some other questions answered now, by all of you. How much surveillance was done on me?"

"Extensive. We found cameras as well as bugs in all of your phones and web cam."

"Are they still in place?" She asked calmly.

"We had to leave them where they were. We didn't want them to know that we were onto them."

"So, I've had strangers watching me not only then, the past year of my life has also been under surveillance?" Sam asked, her voice raising slightly.

"Yes." Jack answered with out flinching. "But no one has seen any knew footage of you since we first started the mission."

"Did you two know anything about this?" She asked Daniel and Teal'c. Daniel had never seen that look in Sam's eyes before and was unable to answer.

"We were aware of it, Samantha." Teal'c answered. If Sam hadn't been so blaringly angry she would have smiled at the use of her first name.

"How much did you know?" Carter asked with venom lacing her words as she tried to control herself.

"Sam we-"

"HOW MUCH, DANIEL?" She repeated with a loud voice. Her eyes drilled holes into Daniel's head. He was suddenly struck by how dark her eyes had become with anger. Just like Jack's did when he found out about the situation. It took all Daniel and Teal'c had to stop Jack from running to SG-9 and killing the two men. Daniel slowly met Sam's threatening stare.

"We knew about everything. We were informed so we wouldn't help you try to find Jack and to make sure you never suspected anything at first. Then we were shipped off as well for our security." He answered and watched Sam's reaction.

"All those nights we spent together, mourning for the Colonel, packing up his things, reading his 

will, his FUNERAL FOR GODS SAKE! It was all just one big hoax!" Sam exploded.

General Hammond, who had been silent up until know saw the pain in Carter's eyes.

"Sam, calm down. We had no-"

"Calm down?! I just wasted a year of my life trying to recover from having a friend die in my arms, and your telling me to calm down?!"

All three men watched in shock as Carter's temper showed itself to the world. O'Neill tried to placate the woman but soon realized this was one woman you don't coddle.

"Sam, listen to me. We had to do this. We had no choice. It was for your own good. If there was a way to take it all back I would but I can't, so just please sit down and let us finish explaining."

"I think you've explained enough. After all of these years, you still think I can't handle myself in a crisis. I thought you knew me better then this, but you all obviously don't." With that she turned ans started towards the door.

"Major Carter! Sit down and control yourself!" Ordered an angry Hammond.

"With all due respect, sir, No. I'm not in the military anymore, remember? I left this life behind a year ago because of this. So excuse me if I don't obey this order." And with that she stormed out of the room.

The four men just sat in the room dumbstruck. They knew she would be hurt, but they never expected this. Slowly, Hammond raised his head and looked at Jack. He answered the unspoken question. 

"Go bring her home, Jack."

With that Jack took off at a full sprint out the door.


	5. Scare Crow to the Rescue

Sam ran blindly through a number of SF's and threw herself into the elevator. When it reached the surface she sprinted to her car and sped out of the mountain complex, stopping only to confirm her departure with an SF at the outside gate. She sped all the way home, the traffic having finally cleared and threw herself against the door as she closed it and locked it. She went into her bedroom and changed out of her suit and into a pair of worn out jeans and a tank top. As she walked into her living room, a sense of uneasiness sent her senses on high alert. She racked across her walls with her eyes and hands. She found one camera placed on the inside of her light fixture of her living room. She tore the lamp down and smashed the tiny camera. She then proceeded to scrub her house for all the bugs and cameras she could find. 

When she was satisfied there was no way a bug could be left in her house she changed into her workout gear and went into her garage. She had he punching bag hanging from a rafter and began beating the poor bag unmercifully. Halfway through a combination, she noticed her hand wraps were red. Her knuckles had cracked open again from the fight with Pete. As she was examining her injuries she spun around at the sound of a voice.

"You should be careful with that bag. It has feelings too ya know."

Sam turned to see O'Neill leaning against the door frame of her garage.

"What are you doing here? And how did you get in?" she asked angrily walking past him into her house.

"I came to make to understand. You rushed out of there so fast I think you gave poor Teal'c whiplash and I'm almost positive that Danny won't ever mess with your chocolate stash again for fear of death." He replied jokingly. "As for how I got in, I still had my key you gave me when we all exchanged keys. Remember? In case anything should happen, it was your idea." Sam just silently stood at her kitchen sink and unwrapped her hands.

"I never knew you had that sort of temper in you." Jack prodded gently. He wasn't good at this whole talking thing, it was more Daniel's field of expertise, but he needed to make sure Sam knew everything.

"Yeah, well how would you feel if you found out that not only was your life being recorded, you gave up a whole way of life because of some catastrophe that never occurred?"

"Is that why you're mad? Because you wish you didn't leave the SGC?" 

"No!- Yes, oh I don't know. It all hit me so fast. You were suddenly gone. Then Daniel and Teal'c left. I couldn't be a part of Stargate Command without my family. Then I find out that all the nights I spent crying for you and wishing you were still here were for nothing and that on top of all that, my former commanding officer, my friends and even my father knew about it and just watched me go through all of that. It was hell. Pure hell." Sam whispered.

"I had just lost Janet the year before, and then you and it felt like I lost Daniel and Teal'c to and I had no one to talk to. I tried talking to Pete, but he just started a fight with me every time. I finally just gave up. Then I get this phone call from the General saying he needs me to read your file. A bunch of crap happened with Pete last night and then I get hit with this in the morning. I'm feeling a little worn right now."

Jack had moved to stand beside Sam at the kitchen sink. "I didn't want you to come into the mountain and find out the way you did. I had tried coming to see you yesterday, but you were busy." Jack said as he cast a sideways glance at Sam.

"These are some pretty nasty cuts."

"I had a tough sparring match."

"Carter, I saw what happened yesterday. I had been on my way to explain everything to you when I saw you and Pete arguing through the window."

Sam just stared down at the kitchen window sill. 

"How long had he been like that?" questioned Jack.

"Don't try that poor little woman crap on me O'Neill! I don't need it!" Sam spun around and started to walk off. She suddenly stopped. Without turning, she answered Jack.

"He had never touched me before, but the arguments had been there for a while, before you were "killed" as it were. Once I resigned my commission, Pete was ecstatic. Then we read your will. He wanted me to sell your cabin and to just put your things in storage. I refused and we had our first really big fight. I packed up and left for your cabin. I didn't talk to anyone for a week. When I did get back, Pete tried convincing me to move to Denver, but I told him I couldn't handle anymore change right then. It was okay for a while, but then I started having nightmares. Pete wasn't all that thrilled when I'd wake up screaming your name all the time. 

"I started feeling guilty every time I thought about you or cried for you. I did that a lot. Cried I mean. I think I've cried more in the past year then I have in my whole life. Then, yesterday, Pete told me how he checked up on me and I suddenly realized the person I had become. When he said the day you died was the happiest day of his life, I realized that I had let you down by letting this man just tread on my memories of you. And I was fed up. Then he threw the first punch and I thought back to Jonas and then I thought about you and how your Major would never let someone hurt her like that. And I fought back. For you." Sam still had her back turned from Jack through all of this. He walked over to Sam and turned her to face him. 

"I saw everything, Sam. And I have never been more proud of you then I was at that moment. Do you hear me? Remember what I said to you before Teal'c carried you away? Always remember that. No matter what, I will always be here for you. And that's what I was trying to do with this mission. I had to protect you. Not because I didn't think that you couldn't handle it, because you shouldn't have had to and I wanted to protect you. You were with Pete and I knew that this was the only way I could show I cared for you. You had a life to live still. I'm an old man with bad knees who still runs around playing guns. You deserved to have someone protect you. It was my choice. It was my way of taking care of you." Jack finished softly.

Sam turned around and hugged O'Neill to her, burying her head in his neck.

"Oh, God Jack! I though I'd lost you!" she cried into his neck as he hugged her closer.

"Sam, I will never leave you. Do you hear me?" Jack asked as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment. The pair eventually made it to the couch where they fell asleep in each others arms, finally both at peace.


End file.
